Free The Color of Forever by Julianne MacLean Page A

sailboat washed onto the lawn. I believe the dial might have had something to do with it. The man who owned the house was a sea captain and he lost his wife at a young age when she was swept off the rocks during a storm. I did some research and learned that he spent his life trying to build a time machine, so that he could go back and prevent her death. I think that’s what the sundial was supposed to be.”
    “Cape Elizabeth?” I leaned forward. “Which historic home? Is it the Fraser House Inn? Because that’s where we’re staying.”
    Sylvie dropped her fork and flopped back in her chair. “Are you kidding me? You’re staying at the Fraser House Inn. What made you choose it?”
    I shrugged and glanced uncertainly at Bailey. “I don’t know. I saw pictures online and I liked the look of it.”
    Sylvie rested her elbow on the table and cupped her forehead in a hand. I found myself staring at the top of her head, worrying that she was about to bring this conversation to an end. “I’ve said too much.”
    “No, you haven’t,” I assured her. “Please, I need to know everything, because I’m already involved. There’s no going back.”
    She lowered her hand from her face. “But isn’t that the point? Trust me, I’ve done this. What matters is the future, not the past. Besides, I don’t want to be responsible for what might happen if you tried to do what I did.”
    “Why not?”
    “It’s too unpredictable. What if you could never get back here , to this life? Do you want to risk losing everything you know and love?”
    “Every single second of every day is unpredictable,” I argued.
    She turned to her husband, Chris, and regarded him imploringly, as if she hoped he would help her argue the point. He merely shrugged, leaving the decision up to her. And me, I suppose.
    Sylvie turned in her chair to signal the waitress. “I’m sorry, we have to go. It’s almost 1:00.”
    The waitress immediately crossed the pub with our bills and a wireless credit card machine.
    “We’re in a bit of a rush,” Sylvie explained to her while Chris pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.
    Bailey and I sat in silence, watching Sylvie and Chris pay their bill and rise from their chairs. “I’m sorry,” Sylvie said. “It was nice to meet you, but…” She paused. “You should go home, Katelyn. Just be happy with your life. Be grateful for what you have.” She gestured toward Bailey. “You have a wonderful friend here, and you’re a beautiful, intelligent woman. You survived a terrible biking accident, and if you go back, you might not be so lucky next time. It’s a second chance that you’ve been given. You should make the most of it by moving forward.”
    That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. It’s why I came here.
    Chris laid a hand on the small of Sylvie’s back and they walked out together. I continued to watch them while the bells jingled over the door and they moved onto the sidewalk. As they passed by the windows, walking quickly, he slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder.
    Despite everything she had just said to me, as I witnessed the connection they shared, all I could feel was… envy .
    I turned to Bailey. “She made a lot of sense just now, about focusing on the future, not the past, but… Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
    “We need to check out that sundial,” she said.
    We both, simultaneously, waved the waitress over to take our credit cards.
    A few minutes later, as we were walking back to the SUV, Bailey said, “Katelyn, I have to ask… You don’t really believe it do you? That the sundial could be an actual portal through time? Surely there’s another explanation for all of this.”
    I handed the keys to her. “I have no idea, but that’s why I want to see it for myself.”

Chapter Seventeen

    A heavy and humid summer breeze had picked up by the time we returned to the Fraser House Inn and parked the SUV on the